Axovant Sciences said its drug nelotanserin has passed an early hurdle in a phase 2 study for Lewy body dementia, encouraging it to start preparing for a phase 3 study.

The company is also making preparations for a phase III registration program that is expected begin in the second half of this year.

The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled and cross-over design phase II study included patients with either dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) or Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) who experience frequent visual hallucinations with a score of 18 or higher on mini mental state examination (MMSE).

Currently, the firm has reported preliminary results from the planned interim analysis of the first 11 patients in the study.